Yahweh, the Warrior

March 30, 2014
Joshua:  Turning Obedience Into Blessing
Joshua 10:16-11:15                                       NOT EDITED

SIS – God is the “Warrior King” and we are His soldiers fighting for the souls of men, women, and children.

Regardless of how right or wrong it was, growing up as a boy in West Virginia meant “fighting.”  It’s what boys did.  Now, we did not stoop the gang mentality you see ravaging our streets today.  Fighting when I was a boy had recognized rules and protocols.  In my case most fights occurred after school where the bus stopped to let us off in the sub-division.  Two opponents would square off, fists at the ready while the crowd formed a circle—a boxing ring if you will.  The fight usually started verbally with each opponent saying, “Go ahead, throw the first punch!”  Now, that sounds like each of the pugilists were being civil and not wishing to be the aggressor.  More often, I think it was a ploy to avoid any actually physical altercation.  The majority of the time all the commotion and yelling would bring a parent who broke the fight up.  Each opponent would walk away shouting back insults and the usual warning:  “It’s a good thing someone broke this fight up before I annihilated you.”

Well, those were “the good old days,” as we say.  American freedom was born in struggle.  America has been hesitant to be an aggressor on the world stage, but we have never run from a fight.  Those born after the turn of the 20^th century are called, “The Great Generation,” in part because they fought two Great Wars, WW1 and WW2.  In both world wars young men flocked to recruiters to sign up to fight the enemy.

Since the Great Generation came the Baby Boomers, born sometime after the end of WW2.  This is my father’s generation.  With a horrible war behind them they settled into a time of growing prosperity.  The middle class was strong and time was spent on work and leisure.  Korea and Viet Nam did not find young men flocking to the recruiters to fight the enemy.  These wars were seen as great interruptions in the lives of families seeking prosperity and leisure.  Since the passing of the Great Generation who eagerly and enthusiastically entered the battle against America’s foes, we have rejected a militaristic mindset for a materialistic one.  Argue whether or not this is an improvement if you will, but you cannot argue this is how it is today. 

The church of God has likewise abandoned a militaristic approach to preaching the gospel.  Militaristic hymns like, Onward Christian Soldiers, or the Battle Hymn of the Republic have fallen out of favor with mainstream Christianity, and in fact have been removed from many hymnbooks as being too “militaristic.”  One Bible scholar states the matter, thusly:

It is too bad much of the church has lost this vision of God or Christ as the warrior who fights for his people.  Too many of us regard this conception as substandard, by which we mean it does not fit our sentimental twentieth-century graven images of what God ought to be like (emphasis mine).

It may not fit our present sentimentality, yet whether politically correct Christians like or not, the Bible—especially the O.T.—is very militaristic.  In fact, Exodus 15:3 explicitly states:

³ The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name.

You can’t escape the fact that Yahweh’s character includes a militaristic stance against sin.  LET’S READ what Joshua says about, “Yahweh, the Warrior.”  Take a deep breath we are going to read all the way from 10:16 to 11:15.

Our text outlines three aspects related to Yahweh as a Warrior.

1.  The Message of War (24-25)

Let me make it clear what “Holy War” in the O.T. is not.  It is not a sanction for mankind to do what it pleases to get what it wants! Holy War in the O.T. is also NOT sufficient support for the idea of a “Just War Theory.”  The Indian epic, the Mahabharata, offers one of the first written discussions of a 'just war' (4^th century, B.C., Wikipedia).  The Christian version goes back to Catholic scholars, Augustine (4^th century A.D.) and Aquinas (13^th century).  The Christian version of a “just war” (jus bellum iustum) has two prongs:  a right to go to war (jus ad bellum); and a right conduct in war (jus in bellum).  While these theories based on principles drawn from God’s Word may give some insight into modern conflict, it bears little resemblance, if any, to the O.T. idea of God as a Warrior.

War in the O.T. is not seen as a game or contest between two earthly opponents (though there are these types of conflicts in the O.T.).  War, especially in Joshua, is all about the Sovereignty of Almighty God and His utter disdain for evil.  That is why the battles in Joshua result in total annihilation of all living things—men, women, children and even livestock.  All life in these pagan communities had become so corrupt and evil that God demands the total eradication.  God is sovereign so His acts are beyond question by those He created.  God is so holy that no evil can stand in His presence.  You must start with the absolute sovereignty and holiness of God or the message of Yahweh as a Warrior cannot be grasped.  Most scholars take great pains to point out that these “Warrior” acts of God are strictly limited to the context of eradicating sin from the land the Israelites would soon inhabit, so as to prevent—or at least mitigate—Israel’s compromising with pagan peoples.

This is not an altogether sufficient justification for Yahweh’s actions as a “Warrior.” Only beginning with the sovereignty and holiness of God will the message of Yahweh as Warrior make sense. 

Look at verses 24 and 25

²² Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.” ²³ That is what they did. They brought the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to Joshua out of the cave. ²⁴ When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. ²⁵ Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous,  for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”

Now this act of stepping on the neck of the five kings may seem like some out-of-control machismo on the part of the Israelites, but it is not.  This goes to the very heart of the meaning and message of Yahweh as a Warrior—particularly Yahweh’s sovereignty. As one writer points out poignantly:  “Now this act was not simple barbarism, nor a mere macho move.  It was, if one might speak loosely, a sacrament [holy act]. . . . The leaders’ feet upon the necks of these prostrate kings was an acted parable, an assuring sign, of how Yahweh would certainly place all their enemies beneath them.”

This was an act of obedience to a holy God demonstrating that there is only one King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that is Yahweh.  All other kings and potentates play with phantom power, but Yahweh demonstrates absolute power.  The N.T. makes it clear that Jesus Christ, Yahweh the Son, also has placed all kings and potentates and provincial powers under his feet.

Prov. 21:1  A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand:He directs it wherever He chooses.

Phil. 2:  ¹⁰At the name of Jesus every knee will bow —of those who are in heaven  and on earthand under the earth —¹¹ and every tongue  should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

So, the message behind the Bible’s description of Yahweh, the Warrior is to demonstrate He is absolutely holy and absolutely sovereign. Much of the O.T. will be hard to grasp if you don’t grasp this important, two-fold message.

2.  The Manner of the War (10:28-43)

As I said above, the Just War Theory developed by Augustine and Aquinas had two parts:  jus ad bellum, the right to go “to” war, and jus in bellum, the right conduct “in” war.  There is a very big flaw in any “rules” regarding war—rules only work if both sides agree on them and abide by them.  Should one side decide to abandon this idea, then they have a very distinct advantage.  The other side abiding by the rules will like suffer significant and irreversible loss.  For example, it is generally agreed that POW’s should be treated fairly and humanely. American servicemen and service women know this is not the case—as with Japanese camps and Vietnamese camps.  Likewise, Jews suffered horribly in German camps.  If one goes to war there really is only one significant guideline:  win!  Losing with honor is, well . . . honorable, but it may not be tolerable.  There is no international court strong enough to absolutely guarantee, for example, that an enemy will not use weapons of mass destruction according to the rules of modern warfare.  Assuming they will may lead to living under a tyrant.

So, two principles apply in regard to Yahweh as Warrior. While we cannot fight wars with absolute holiness and righteousness as Yahweh does, we can draw some lessons from Yahweh’s example.  First, the goal is the total annihilation of evil.  In other words, the goal must be to win.  Playing at war like it is a game with service people as the pawns is unconscionable and will lead to more evil, not less.  America has done a great disservice to our modern soldiers by trying to “contain evil,” rather than conquer it.  We saw this in Viet Nam and Korea.  Neither of these wars were undertaken with any clear objective of eradicating an evil.  If it is right to go to war in the first place (jus ad bellum) then it is right to win.  This principle does not suggest that “any means to the end” is justified.  Torture, for example, was not countenanced by Yahweh.  His goal was eradicating horrible evil.  Verse 28 describes this manner of war involving total annihilation:

²⁸ On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it down with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed it  and everyone in it, leaving no survivors.

This idea of “total destruction” would be extended throughout all the areas of the Southern part of the Promised Land in verses 28-40, and later extended throughout the Northern cities in chapter 11:1-15.  Total destruction must be viewed, as I’ve already said, in light of God’s absolute holiness.

Now, what lesson can we draw from this idea of “totality” in regard to the spiritual battle between our flesh and our spirit?  I’ve preached this before but it is helpful to repeat.  Paul declares in this regard that success in the spiritual battle requires that we “annihilate the deeds of the body, or the flesh.”  Look at Romans 8:12-13:

¹² So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, ¹³ for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The word translated, “put to death,” come from a very ancient Greek word literally meaning to “cause to cease from all activity” (thanatos).  The goal of the Spirit-filled life is the daily, moment by moment eradication all vestiges of the old life.  Sadly, most Christians hang on to old habits, old ideas, and old desires.  We fail to gain victory over evil in the world because we are tripping over evil in our own lives.  Paul said in Hebrews 12:1-2:

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses  surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance  the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus,  the source and perfecter  of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him  endured a cross and despised the shame  and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

All of heaven watches from the celestial grandstands as we “run this race of life,” or in regard to our present text, “fight the battle of life.”  To run or to fight requires great energy and much discipline.  Evil a little sin will keep you from the victory God wants you to have in the battle, or battles of life.  The moment we let our guard down by treating sin with any degree of familiarity, we expose ourselves to grave danger.

Last week, a young Petty Officer standing watch was shot dead on the quarterdeck of a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer.  A civilian who had access to the base, but not to the ship wrestled the Petty Officer’s gun away from him and shot him dead.  Another security officer on the ship shot the civilian.  The Petty Officer let the civilian get too close and paid the price.  This is what happens when we let sin creep in and set up camp in our lives.  We pay an awful price.

The manner of war as followers of Yahweh must involve the total eradication of evil in our own lives, before we will have any affect on the evil in our world.

Now, interestingly, as complete as Israel’s victory was over the Central, Southern, and Northern cities, Judges 1 tell us that it was not complete enough.  Decades later in Judges 1 we find the Israelites still being troubled by remaining Canaanites.  This is a further reminder that we must always seek the total eradication of evil in our own lives—this is the “manner” by which we follow Yahweh’s example.

Godliness requires constant vigilance and self-discipline to eradicate any vestige of the old nature.

So, by examining the teaching of Yahweh as Warrior we learn the message behind the wars in the O.T. and the manner by which they were fought.  Our text also gives us insight into

3.  The Model Warrior (11:1-15)

The key to winning any war, spiritual or otherwise lies in the quality of the warrior.  The best gun in the world is of no use if the one firing that gun is not a model soldier.  Wars are not fought with weapons, but wars are fought with warriors.  Weapons are of secondary importance.  America has some of the most technologically advanced weapons ever conceived but the strength of our military is the quality of our warriors.  The Bible concludes this section with a reference to the leadership of Joshua, God’s warrior:

¹⁵ Just as the Lord had commanded His servant Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

We all should be model warriors capable of leading out in ministry.  You may be a follower now, but God’ calls us all to lead.  Joshua had demonstated three fundamental characteristics of a model warrior.

(1)  He could identify the enemy (1-5)

Throughout history, armies have worn identifying uniforms. When the British Army was approaching Lexington, Paul Revere supposedly sounded the alarm by saying, “The Redcoats are coming.  The Redcoats are coming.”  Historians debate whether Revere actually said this or not but it was certainly possible because the British Army wore an easily recognizable uniform including ‘red coats.’ 

Now, not all uniforms of the enemy are equally intimidating.  Take for example the uniform of the elite Greek Army unit, the Evzones.  SHOW SLIDE.  Their uniforms don’t exactly strike terror in the heart of their enemies.

The writer of Joshua goes to great lengths to identify who the enemy is and what particular military power they possess.  The first five verses of chapter 11 describe Israel’s enemies, and their prospective power in great detail.  Together these Northern kings amassed a huge army, “as numerous as the sand of the sea.”  Joshua identified the enemy and was prepared to face them. 

Too often in church, we do not have a clear idea of the enemies identity.  Evil moves in and among congregations seemingly unnoticed.  Most churches see the world as their enemy when in fact it is usually “friendly fire” that brings down most congregations.  A good leader has the ability to adequately identify and assess the enemy.

(2)  He drew energy from God’s sovereignty (6-7)

⁶ The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to be killed before Israel.

Too many Christians have lost the warrior spirit because they fail to adequately understand the true nature of Yahweh’s sovereignty.  Many believers never engage the enemy because they feel that fighting evil is “God’s job.”  After all, who among us cannot quote that verse, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”  Or, how about the verse that tells us to “turn the other cheek.”  I can assure you that whatever you think these verses mean, they do not mean Christians are not supposed to actively engage the enemies of God in this world—whether that be pro-abortion activists or pro-homosexual lobbyists.  It IS INDEED our job of “Model Warriors” to engage the enemies of God in the marketplace.  God’s warriors cannot limit their activity to within the four walls of a sterilized cathedral.  The church building is not a “hiding place,” but a “headquarters.”  The sovereignty of God as we have learned does not mean there is nothing for God’s people to do, but simply means that what we do will be miraculously successful—but, we have to “DO” SOMETHING!  Understanding sovereignty energized the “warrior spirit” in us because we know that we are engaged in a conflict sanctioned by and is being led by Yahweh the Warrior. Nothing energizes a warrior like knowing one is in God’s battle with the assurance of victory!

(3)  He trusted completely in the sufficiency of God’s help (6, 9)

6 You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.

9 Joshua treated them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

Joshua and Israel invaded the enemy camp but instead of taking their weaponry and using it against them—they disabled the horses and destroyed the chariots.  Hamstringing a horse made the horse unfit for military service by cutting the large tendon behind the knee on the hind legs.  Horse-drawn chariots were hi-tech weaponry.

Why not just commandeer the horses and chariots instead of destroying them?  One scholar points to a very probable reason: “Yahweh’s intention is to teach Israel not to depend on [worldly] modes of assistance but to [rest] in God’s help alone.”  This aligns with what the Psalmist said,

“⁷ Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,

but we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God.

A “Model Warrior” in Yahweh’s army trusts completely in the sufficiency of God’s help, rather than one’s own cunning or ingenuity.  We must avoid taking our cue from culture as to how we should wage our war against the enemies of God.  We must never trust in worldly methods or carnal weapons to fight the battle before us.  We must trust God and His Word as absolutely sufficient to bring us to victory.

Joshua was a model warrior in Yahweh’s Army.  We can be also if we search His Word to discover how to identify the enemy; if we get energized knowing that this is Yahweh’s fight and His sovereign power guarantees our efforts will be successful; and if we place all our trust in God alone, and not our cleverness or ingenuity.

Sadly, the fighting spirit that allowed the Great Generation to win two world wars and build the greatest super power on earth, that spirit seems absent from our present culture.  We now seem more driven by a “peacenik-politically-correct-I-got-mine-you-get-yours” spirit” than by Yahweh, the Warrior’s Holy Spirit.  Much like the Jews we are going too willingly into the cattle cars of a train on the track of societal suicide, or like children dancing merrily behind a politically correct Pied Piper as he tweets them away to doom.

Yahweh is a Warrior.  We must be warriors, too! At stake in this present war is the eternal souls of men, women, and children.

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